PGI Chandigarh to start course in clinical photography

The course will start from September 2017 under the department of clinical photography.

Clinical photographers are needed in every hospital, medical college, scientific institute and investigative agency; yet there is not even a single institute to provide them a specialised course in their field.

Taking a lead in imparting skills in clinical photography, the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has decided to introduce a three-year BSc course in ‘Medical Animation and Audiovisual Creation’.

PGIMER officials, who claim that the institute will become the first in the country to introduce a specialisation in the field, said that the course will be one-of-its-kind in entire Asia.

The course will start from September 2017 under the department of clinical photography.

During the course, students will be taught various photographic applications in medical science along with digital illustrations, medical animation and developing audiovisual content for patient care, medical education and research.

As the students will have to work closely with doctors and other healthcare professionals, they will also be taught basics of medical subjects like anatomy, physiology and pathology.

The three-year degree course will have 15 seats, for which 10 students will be selected from a national entrance exam and the rest five seats will be reserved for sponsored candidates and foreign nationals.

Who are clinical photographers?

The job of a clinical photographer is little-known yet challenging and needs a lot of expertise.

The role is varied as they get to photograph a wide range of subjects ranging from postmortems to rare surgeries and diseases.

“A clinical photographer captures and records the medical conditions of patients. These pictures play a crucial role in supporting doctors to diagnose and treat patients. These are important medical records, and are also used as instructional tools to teach other students,” said a clinical photographer at PGIMER.

He said that a clinical photographer cannot afford to commit mistake as it can prove fatal for patient because at times, doctors diagnose the disease after analysing the images.

“Apart from this, they also play an important role in crime scenes. A clinical photographer must know which picture to click and from which angle. They should know how to capture initial appearance of the crime scene and evidence, as it will become a permanent record for the courts,” said an official from the department of clinical photography.

Know more about the course

PGIMER officials claim the course will be on a par with international standards.

“The syllabus is comprehensive enough in terms of global scenario, yet will also cater to the requirements in Indian perspective. The department is collaborating with some internationally renowned experts, who will visit PGI regularly to mentor students and will also conduct workshops,” said a PGIMER official.

“It will produce a different league of photographers for medical institutes, hospitals, corporate healthcare industry, scientific institutes, police, investigative agencies and other fields,”the official added.